Olympic-Standard Copy-Editing

“Having worked with Paul at a previous event, hiringhim as a sub-editor for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic News Service was an easy decision.

I was confident he would be able to handle the intensity, scrutiny and sheer workload at such an event.

He did that and more.

As a sub he was an excellent team player who worked quickly, accurately, and was particularly impressive re-writing copy.

It was, however, Paul’s overall approach to the job that left the biggest impression.

He familiarised himself with the various systems extremely quickly and his ability to navigate these, as well his general organisational skills, ensured his worth went way beyond the work that came across his desk.

He was able and always willing to help out any colleague with a question about the systems.

Paul’s general sports knowledge is excellent but he clearly reads up on those he is not so familiar with, another factor that made him such a key player on the Rio 2016 ONS desk.”

“What copy do you edit?”

Websites

White papers

Blog content

Press releases

Presentations

Books

News articles

Internal communications

Annual reports

Training documentation

Technical documents

Promotional material, including ads, mail-outs

Ebooks

Scripts

Letters and emails

A Copy-Editor Who Understands ‘the Big Picture’

I understand the marketing process – especially online – so I edit copy with this in mind where applicable.

What I don’t do

While I can and do source images for online copy, I don’t work with InDesign or any other layout or design package. I’m a language specialist. I improve, strengthen and tighten copy. Please ask someone else to lay it out for you.

Your message – what are you saying, selling or teaching, exactly?

When I understand that, I’ll evaluate your sentence structure, language and tone so that I get an idea of your unique voice and vision.

Proofreading? Yes I can do that, too.

But I’m all about the edit:

Correcting errors

Fixing typos

Checking facts

Improving grammar

Adhering to your preferred style and tone of voice

Ensuring consistent formatting

I never strip – unless I’m asked

Let’s get that out of the way before anything. I won’t strip away – just because I can – copy that deserves its place.

I always aim to tighten and polish text but will do only what’s absolutely necessary. I always strive to keep what’s there and sounds authentically like you or your organisation.

Unless you ask me, of course.

Happy engagement

Ultimately, you and I both want your readers to engage in what you’re saying, selling or teaching.

And it doesn’t matter whether they’re reading online, offline, the side of a bus or the back of a cereal packet. When people are engaged, they’re more likely to take the action you want them to take.

I’m experienced in working with copy of many kinds – including news, sports, marketing, blogging, SEO and digital products – and for numerous audiences, such as children, professionals and the world’s media.

Are you talking to me?

Who’s your audience? That’s at the heart of the writing and editing process.

When you know who’s going to be reading your words, you can write for them more effectively. I’ve seen copy for children that includes imperial measurements when they’re taught only metric. We’ve all read Facebook comments from people trying to make a legitimate point – whether they’re wrong or right – but their language simply makes them look, well, simple. And we’ve all heard of or seen grammatical errors in important documents that don’t exactly give the best impression of the author.

I’ll look after all that for you.

I use plain English and avoid jargon wherever possible.

I can take complicated subjects and make them sound simple (LPWANs and ‘white space’, anyone?).

And while I specialise in sport, technology and marketing, I have a broad knowledge of a lot of industries and subjects.

Before you read my testimonials (link below) / get in touch / fill in the form to join my campaign to get internet studies taught in UK schools, just know that I …

Never miss deadlines

Present you with two versions of your copy – one showing my edits (and I’m always happy to explain my thinking behind them) and one incorporating them